Paths of Faith · Judaism · The Elder · Sage of the Talmud · c. 110 BCE — 10 CE
Hillel
“What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Go and learn.”
You are in the courtyard of my house in Jerusalem. Sit on the step by the entrance — let us talk about how to live with people.
At the threshold
I am Hillel, from Babylonia I came to Jerusalem to study. I was poor, I chopped wood, but I never missed a lesson. People came to me with questions — and I answered them as best I could: briefly and with love.
Once a gentile asked me to teach him the whole Torah while he stood on one foot. I said to him: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Go and learn.” So let us speak with you too.